An Ethiopian Airlines plane landed at Geneva Airport Monday morning after having been hijacked by the co-pilot. All passengers disembarked safely and the hijacker was arrested, according to Swiss police.
Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement that one of its flights had been «forced to proceed» to Geneva, adding that all passengers and crew were safe at the airport.
The co-pilot of the plane hijacked it while the pilot was taking a bathroom break, according to an airport spokesman, and took the opportunity to lock himself in the cockpit and take control of the plane.
Ethiopian Airlines flight 702 was headed from Addis Ababa to Rome and was to have landed in Rome at 4:40 a.m. The hijacking reportedly took place over Sudanese airspace.
Passengers were seen leaving the plane with their hands over their heads and escorted to waiting vehicles. The hijacker was taken into custody.
Flight arrivals and departures were halted at Geneva Airport after the hijacked airliner landed at around 6 a.m. local time and numerous flights were re-routed or cancelled. Arrivals and departures have since resumed.